Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has forcefully denounced the Trump administration’s new immigration crackdown in Illinois, named Operation Midway Blitz, describing it as an unconstitutional escalation that disregards due process.
In a series of posts on X, Johnson said the city of Chicago did not receive notice about the initiative, and he raised concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s track record and links to human rights abuses.
Newsweek contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment via email on Tuesday outside regular working hours.
Why It Matters
Operation Midway Blitz is the latest instance of the Trump administration intensifying federal immigration crackdowns on Democratic-led cities this summer, citing crime and public safety concerns as justification.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from local leaders—including Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker—who argue that it is intended to intimidate rather than reduce crime, noting that federal authorities have not attempted to coordinate with local officials.
What To Know
The Department of Homeland Security said on Monday that it was launching the initiative in Chicago and across Illinois following the death of Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old college student killed in a drunk driving hit-and-run allegedly caused by Guatemalan national Julio Cucul-Bol.
The department said “criminal illegal aliens” had flocked to the state because Pritzker’s sanctuary policies allowed them “to roam free on American streets.”
Johnson said on X that the city of Chicago received no notice on the new ICE operation before it launched.
He said the city remained opposed to “any potential militarized immigration enforcement without due process” and cited ICE’s track record of “detaining and deporting American citizens and violating the human rights of hundreds of detainees.”
The mayor went on to name several examples of ICE’s enforcement practices and reported misconduct.
He cited one incident in which ICE deported an American child with Stage IV kidney cancer to Honduras along with his mother, a case that is now the subject of a lawsuit.
Johnson also referenced a report from Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff‘s office that identified hundreds of cases of human rights abuses in immigration detention centers around the county.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday, along with a meme referencing the 1979 Vietnam War movie Apocalypse Now: “‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning…’ Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker wrote on X: “This isn’t about fighting crime. That requires support and coordination—yet we’ve experienced nothing like that over the past several weeks. Instead of taking steps to work with us on public safety, the Trump Administration’s focused on scaring Illinoisians.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wrote on X: “Chicago doesn’t want to see reckless, unconstitutional, militarized immigration enforcement in our city.”
What Happens Next
The government has released few details about what Operation Midway Blitz will entail.
It remains to be seen whether Trump will send National Guard members to Chicago to accompany ICE, as he did in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., over the summer.
Pritzker has said he will immediately take the issue to court if Trump sends the National Guard to Chicago.
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